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A man who is urging voters to remove Justice Court Judge Keith Stoney from the bench in Saratoga Springs has expanded his campaign to West Valley City, where the judge also sits.
Edward Peltekian, who was prosecuted in Saratoga Springs after his dog got loose from his property, has set up a political action committee called Vote No on Judge Stoney. He wants citizens in Utah and Salt Lake counties to vote in the Nov. 2 general election against retaining the judge.
To that end, Peltekian has planned a rally for Tuesday in West Valley City to call for Stoney's ouster. He organized a previous demonstration in September in Saratoga Springs.
Peltekian, who claims Stoney violates the civil rights of defendants who appear in his court, said, "I like to fight for what's right."
Stoney has denied Peltekian's allegations.
Peltekian said he and members of his family were charged last year with misdemeanor counts of allowing a dog to run loose and not having registration, offenses he said should have been classified as administrative code violations instead.
Charges were dropped against Peltekian but the city then filed the charges against his son and his sister. In addition, Peltekian's wife was ordered by Stoney, who presided over the case, to spend a night in jail for contempt of court after she used her cell phone to record one of the hearings.
The sister was sentenced to six months' probation in March in a deal that will erase the conviction from her records. The son pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and was placed on 12 months' probation and fined $1,000.
Stoney — who was elected this year by his fellow justice court judges to the Utah Judicial Council, which sets policy for state courts — could not be reached for comment Thursday. He told The Salt Lake Tribune earlier this month that "the system was more than fair" to those calling for his ouster at the September demonstration.
The first report from the Vote No on Judge Stoney political action committee is due Tuesday. Peltekian declined Thursday to say how much money the PAC has.
Rally scheduled
P A Saratoga Springs man who claims Justice Court Judge Keith Stoney violated his rights has organized rallies calling for the jurist's ouster from the bench. Stoney denies the allegations.
Tuesday • Rally is scheduled for 2:30-6 p.m. outside the West Valley City Justice Court, 3590 S. Constitution Blvd. (2700 West).